New Week it's Sunday...Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! I know you'll be having your BBQ's today. Keep it safe and don't eat too much side salads like macaroni or potato.

I thought I'd talk a little bit about watermelon today. I eat alot of watermelon in the summer and when you think picnics you probably have a tendency to think about watermelon.

I got a email this morning from South Beach Diet tips and it had in there that on the South Beach Diet you aren't to eat watermelon till phase 3. I always thought watermelon was the least calorie and thought of it as a good diet food. The reason they tell you not to eat much of it is because it can make your blood sugar levels rise faster especially if your diabetic and can cause cravings. A serving size is equal to one cup of watermelon chunks or one small wedge.

That being said it is still a good source of vitamin C. From the website Wikipedia"Watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight."

I also got this information from the Wikipedia site that I didn't know. "Notable is the inner rind of the watermelon, which is usually a light green or white color. This area is edible and contains many hidden nutrients that most people avoid eating due to its unique flavor."

And...

"Watermelon rinds are also edible, and sometimes used as a vegetable. In China, they are stir-fried, stewed or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum. Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US. Watermelon juice can also be made into wine."

I guess I need to eat a little less of this fruit since it raises blood sugar levels. I was diagnosed with diabetes last year and have to control my blood sugar levels. I always looked at the watermelon as a safe fruit but I will need to look at other fruits a little bit more carefully too. Which goes to show you I guess we all need to do our research while trying to lose weight.

Exercise: On a side note I didn't do any exercise this week. When we went away last week to visit family for three days it totally threw me off my schedule. I guess you could say I making up excuses but it's the only one I have. When I go away I don't tend to exercise and when I came back I felt sluggish again. So this week it's back to my workouts!